Had the rules allowing NCAA athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) that could be coming in time for the 2021 season been in place when Reggie Bush was terrorizing defenses at USC, he’d probably still be in possession of the Heisman Trophy he was awarded back in 2005.
Bush was forced to return his Heisman and cut off all ties with his alma mater for a decade as a result of an NCAA investigation that found his family had received impermissible benefits during his time at USC.
As Bush explained to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, he was strapped for cash living in Los Angeles and receiving just $1,000 a month in scholarship money.